Ajeé Wilson is a middle-distance runner from the United States who excels in the 800 meters. She is the 2022 World indoor 800 meter champion, having won the silver medals in 2016 and 2018. Wilson earned bronze medals at the World Athletics Championships in both 2017 and 2019. She owns the North American indoor record and is the second-fastest American of all time in the event, with a timing of 1:55.61s. Wilson claimed the 800 m gold medals at both the 2011 World Youth and 2012 World Junior Championships.
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Ajee Wilson made a huge breakthrough in her career in 2007 when she claimed the gold medal in the 3000 m Sub-Youth division at the AAU Junior Olympic Games. She won two gold medals in the Youth division in the 1500 and 3000 meters the next year at the same competition. At the USA Junior Track & Field Championships in 2010, Ajee won her maiden junior national title in the 800m. In July of that year, she raced in the World Junior Athletics Championships and placed third in the 800m final.
Ajee took first place in the 800m at the World Youth Athletics Championships in 2011. Shen then won the gold medal in the 800m at the World Junior Athletics Championships in 2012, defending her junior national championship title. She earned her first national 800m title in the US Indoor Track and Field Championships a year later, followed by a bronze medal at the US Outdoor Championships.
At the 2013 World Athletics Championships, Ajee Wilson competed for the first time as a professional, placing sixth in the 800 metres. At the World Athletics Relays in 2014, she won her first international title in the 4x800m relay in the senior level. Ajee set a world record while winning the gold medal in Distance Medley Relay the next year at the same event, recording 10:36.50s. Ajee Wilson won the 200m championship at the 2016 World Indoor Championships. That August, she made her first appearance in the Summer Olympics at the Rio Olympics, finishing 12th in the 800m heats. In 2027, she earned the bronze medal in the 800m at the World Athletics Championships (the following year) with a time of 1:56.65s.
Ajee took silver in the 800m at the World Indoor Championships in 2018, clocking 1:58.99s, 0.68s behind than gold medallist Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi. She captured the 800m bronze medal at the World Championships again in 2019, followed by the a triumph at the Diamond League in Brussels, Belgium. She received two silver 800m medals from the Continental Cup in 2014 and 2018. Wilson established the U.S. Indoor Track and Field 800 m record and the NACAC 800 m record in 1:58.60 at the 2019 Millrose Games. Wilson claimed the 800m in 1:57.72 on July 28 at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, to represent the United States in the World Championships 2019. At Doha 2019, she clinched her second bronze medal at the Worlds with a timing of 1:58.84.
| Event | Total | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| World Championships | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| World Indoor Championships | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| World Relays | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Diamond League | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| World Junior Championships | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| World Youth Championships | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Her coach is Derek Thompson. Thompson has been mentoring Ajee’ Wilson since she was in high school in Neptune, New Jersey. Thompson, a former Philadelphia postal originally from Jamaica, is as knowledgeable about the technicalities of middle distance running as anyone in the sport. For many years, he balanced managing the student athletes of the Juventus Track Club with his mail-related responsibilities. After retiring from the United States Postal Service, he continued to serve as the coach. However, Thompson has taken the intentional decision to not join the exclusive group of coaches who garner more media attention. His anonymity is ideal for him.
| Competition | Best Result | Event | Mark | Position |
| Olympics | Rio 2016 | Women’s 800 m | 2:00.79 | 16th (sf) |
| World Championships | London 2017 | Women’s 800 m | 1:56.65 | Bronze |
| World Indoor Championships | Belgrade 2022 | Women’s 800 m | 1:59.09 | Gold |
She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States, on May 8, 1994. She is the daughter of Zachary Wilson and Tonya Anderson. Her siblings include one brother, Zachary, and three sisters, Constance, Jade, and Brietta. She chose to skip university athletics in order to remain close to home and continue training with her coach Derek Thompson. Her pre-race routine involves listening to Beyonce’s “I Was Here” on repeat. In April 2021, she featured on the cover of Women’s Running magazine.
